“Public art inspires; it builds community,” says Megan Ochmanek, an associate planner who works on the business outreach and communications team with Macomb County. The digital map serves as a way to “highlight all of the great public art that we have here in our communities.”

Deputy County Executive Pam Lavers and leaders from OneMacomb – which promotes multiculturalism and inclusion through art – developed this comprehensive tool celebrate the investments that communities have made in public art.

The Macomb County Public Art Map, which officially launched in late August of 2018 with a celebration in front of the Anton Art Center, allows residents and visitors to search for and visit all the public art in the community.

Currently, there are more than 100 pieces to search for. However, Macomb County and OneMacomb have been working to build up its content.

Navigating the map

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Jessica Worley, a Macomb County planning and economic development GIS specialist, created the digital art map – which is split into five categories: sculpture, mural, architecture, painting and other – and allows you to search by both category and location.

“The art map is a really functional tool for the community,” Ochmanek says. “It’s so easy to pull it up on your phone.”

Whether you opt to use your phone, laptop or desktop computer, search for “murals” in “Mount Clemens” and you’ll find a mural located at the Mount Clemens Library.

If you are browsing through the categories and come across an interesting work of art, simply click on it to read more about it, including the name and artist (if known) and the location. Once you’ve located a few cool pieces of art you’d like to see up close, schedule an afternoon to head out in the community with the family to visit them.

“It’s a great resource for individuals and for families who are interested in public art – and interested in exploring the community a bit more,” she adds.

All about discovery

While out and about, you might even discover some new art not yet charted on the Macomb County Public Art Map, which you can submit via the website.

“There’s a public submission form, where you can easily upload a photo and upload the artist’s name if you have it,” along with the location, she says. “We really want to get the community involved in helping us add more artwork to the map.”

Since its launch, the map has been received positive feedback, she says.

“We’ve had a lot of return people submitting art,” she says. “People are using the map quite frequently.”